


Mourning

by Bumblesquee



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers: Age of Extinction - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Optimus Prime, Mourning, Sad Robutts, descriptions of body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 18:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4147968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bumblesquee/pseuds/Bumblesquee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The remaining Autobots and their human allies are cleaning up the original KSI headquarters. What they find leaves them with a profound sense of mourning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mourning

**Author's Note:**

> SO. I WATCHED TFAOE RECENTLY. 
> 
> GUESS WHO WASN'T PLEASED WITH RATCHET'S DEATH. 8')))))
> 
> im toying around with scenarios of the aftermath of optimus leaving. its kinda fun tbh. i mean, sad- but fun :3c
> 
> i think this is really poorly done, but i just kinda wanted to pour some of my pent up feelings out. i think its really ooc but oh well.

They found Ratchet's head two weeks after Optimus left Earth.

 

The world seemed to fall in an empty silence after the Autobot leader left. News stations from all over continuously played and replayed reports: videos of Decepticons and Autobots clashing, estimated costs of damage that climbed every day, and hundreds, if not thousands, wondering what would happen next. It was as if during the battle, and after Optimus took to the stars, the world collectively realized something all at once: this was something bigger than all of them. The things that once seemed important, money and power and the like, were squashed under the epiphany that they all, as humans, were so insignificant in the long run. 

For the first week, it seemed no one could do anything but search. They sifted through broken buildings and damaged homes to find missing loved ones, precious belongings, and first aid kids. Any dead bodies that were found, especially in Hong Kong and China, were stacked up on the sides of streets and sidewalks until something could be figured out for them. A deep silence settled over the world for the first week. No one could say whether the people were quiet because they were stunned, scared, or paying respects for the dead.

 It was the beginning of the second week, and Bumblebee rolled up quietly to the damaged KSI headquarters. Tessa and Shane stepped out of the muscle car silently, Cade soon joining them. Drift and Hound idled behind, as if reluctant to come closer to the headquarters where many of their friends and foes had been used for  _parts_. Bumblebee was the first to transform and step onto the site, optics sweeping the grounds.   
"We better look," his radio drawled out, but the look on his faceplates said he'd rather do something else.

"The faster we clean this up, the better," Cade said with a firm resolve. He gestured to Drift and Hound as they transformed. "You two, pick up the heavier machinery. Make a pile out of them. We'll figure out what to do with it later." After sifting through some rubble piles, Cade found a broom and a bucket which he handed to Tessa and Shane. "You two sweep all the smaller bits. Put any screws or usable parts in the bucket."

Bumblebee lumbered closer to Cade, his radio playing off several stations, "What am I doing, boss?" He tried to make it sound humorous, nothing more than a day of wacky cleaning, but the last note of his radio-sentence shorted out.   
Cade crossed his arms and stared up at the scout, swallowing thickly. This one had saved him and his daughter more times than he'd like to admit, was like a second guardian behind Optimus. Cade felt a sort of familial appreciation towards the scout and stepped off towards the lab. "You're with me, Bumblebee. We're looking for different parts."   
  
"Be careful, Dad." Tessa trailed off, watching the two pick up broken pieces of armor, half melted plates, and circuitry. Something twisted in her chest as she reminded herself those were once parts of living beings, ones with  _souls_. She twisted her hands tightly on the broom handle until her knuckles went white.  
"Hey," Shane murmured, brushing his shoulder against hers. "I'll look for screws. You broom the place up."  
  
Cade pushed a former Decepticon helm upright, looking over the socket of a missing optic. A wire sparked at him from the jaw ridge, but it didn't faze him. Years of inventing left him fearless towards sparking wires and smoking circuitry. Bumblebee shifted through radio stations behind him, helping him discern whether a body part was Decepticon or Autobot. Eventually, they began creating piles of respective parts — arms, legs, helms.   
Two hours had passed and the KSI grounds were looking a little better. The floor of the lab was clear enough to not worry about tripping every two seconds. A rumbling engine made everyone pause their work, only to see Crosshairs in his alt mode right outside the premises. 

"Slagger, the hell have you been?" Hound barked out over a lit cigar as he lifted up a mechanical arm, once used for supporting a human-made bot. 

Drift shoved a platform closer to the pile of scrap and raised an optic ridge at the green sports car. "This was to be a team effort, Crosshairs."

Crosshairs opened his driver door, letting Joshua Joyce step out, before he transformed and stared hard at Drift. He scoffed quietly and lugged a jagged, ripped frame over his shoulder. "Can't believe I ain't gettin' paid for this scrap."   
Joshua adjusted his glasses, absent-minded hands tugging at his suit sleeves. This lab was once his dream, the base of an entire empire he wanted to construct. Now, it was a shattered base, a tarnished crown. His experience during the battle, however, had watered down his pride and now he felt a sense of humility as he looked upon the wreckage of his once great dream.

 

Cade and Bumblebee made their way to a mangled pile of metal plates and rubble. Bumblebee swept most of it away with his servo while Cade pulled way the bigger pieces of metal. What greeted them beneath both made them stop.

Tessa pushed her hair away from her face and glanced at her dad, eyebrows furrowing. "Dad, you okay? What did you find?" When he didn't provide an answer, she dropped her broom and jogged over to the scout and her father — immediately gasping at the sight, pressing her hands tight against her mouth.

In front of them lay Ratchet's helm. Half of his faceplates were melted off, and his right optic hung loosely from its socket. His mouth was mangled beyond recognition, and while his highlighter colored armor had mostly been removed except for one piece of it on the right side. An indent from a bullet made a deep hollow in the armor. 

"By the Allspark..." Hound took the cigar from his mouth, optics cycling down to stare at the remains of the Autobot CMO. Drift came up beside him and stopped cold before his helm bowed slightly. 

Crosshairs' heavy footsteps scattered rubble on the ground as he approached the decapitated helm. "Aye, I was expectin' this," He murmured, reaching a servo out to gently dust off Ratchet's remaining armor. "Didn't wanna see it right away." He sighed, the excuse for showing up late hanging heavy in the air.

 

The lab seemed significantly colder, despite no chilly winds blowing through. Tears welled up in Tessa's eyes as she allowed Shane to envelope his arms around her; Cade's jaw ticked and his hands curled into fists. A silence fell over them, heavy and lingering.   
Ratchet's helm seemed to serve as a reminder of what this battle had cost: lives. Thousands of lives, not just humans. These lives once had purpose, they were precious, and now they were gone. His one remaining optic was void of light, of life, and every time Tessa looked at it her own eyes watered even more and she let out a tiny sob.

There was no doubt that the weight of Ratchet's death left a mark on the team.

 

Bumblebee was the first to move, cautious servos gripping Ratchet's helm. He lifted it up and stared at his dead friend, his comrade. "He'll get a proper Cybertronian service." Bee's radio speech assured quietly. It was then the mood lightened just a tad, like everyone was comforted they could make sure at least one soul was guided to a proper end.

Hound turned towards Joshua, spittle flying from his mouth as he yelled at the man. "This is what your science did, are you proud of that?!" His optics cycled wide, full of anger and grief. Joshua folded slightly under the volume of the bot's anger, casting his look to the ground.  
"It's all your fault! None of this woulda happened if you had just minded your own business!" Hound continued on as Drift led him a couple paces away. The samurai managed to get the bigger bot to stop roaring after a couple minutes, but nothing could stop the enraged glare Joshua received from Hound.

"Quit your griping," Crosshairs snipped, crossing his arms. "I think Baldy here learned his lesson, aye? No need to grill his ass any longer; he'll do it himself." 

Cade turned from the group and let his clenched hand fly, the fist slamming into a scrap pile. A jagged edge of armor split his knuckles open, blood sliding slowly down the edges. "This isn't going to happen again," He ground out through his teeth. "I won't let anymore Autobots lose their lives." 

"Indeed," Joshua crossed his arms tightly, as if he was going to hug himself. "I think our time would be more adequately spent making sure our new... friends have the protection they need. I could assist with that."   
Tessa left Shane's arms in favor of wrapping her own around her father. "Dad, it's okay. We'll get this cleaned up, Ratchet's going to get the service he deserves, and we'll do better. We'll  _defend_ our friends." She patted his arm comfortingly.

Cade cast a glance towards Ratchet's helm one last time, his hands finally relaxing. "Yeah," he whispered to himself, his expression tightening in a newly invigorated resolve.

"We'll defend them with everything we got."


End file.
